Repetitive Stress Injuries in Children and Teenagers
Too much video game play can lead to repetitive stress injuries in children and teenagers. Stephanie Snyder, a senior physical therapist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle, defines the problem as doing the same activity over and over, whether with video games, text messaging or similar activites. “Kids are setting themselves up for risk of current or future hand, wrist, and thumb problems — pain, different tendinitis issues, carpal tunnel and the like,” Snyder says. “It’s not good for the eyes, promotes poor posture, can cause neck problems, upper back and lower back problems, shoulder issues and a variety of other things involving joints and body parts,” she says. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that US children are spending five to six hours a day playing video games, texting, watching TV and surfing Internet. The Academy recommends setting a time limit of two hours per day. What should parents do to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury? If the child is spending all kinds of time with hands clenched on a video game controller, moving their thumbs — he or she should avoid excessive thumb movement. Use a variety of stretches, pretty much anything that will get them out of the clenched position. Opening the fingers, moving the wrists in different directions, opening and closing the hands. Anything that keeps them from a clenched position. And set time limits. Only allow a period to play video games, then balance it out with outdoor play …
Anxiety Disorders Panic Attack
Panic Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety and stress are a normal part of life. However, anxiety disorders occur when anxiety becomes irrational, excessive, and negatively affects a person’s functioning. Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders typically experience intense fear, worry, or uneasiness that can last for long periods of time. This anxiety significantly affects their lives. If not treated early, anxiety disorders can lead to problems in school, reluctance to go to school, social difficulties with family and peers, low self-esteem, abuse of alcohol or substances, trouble in work settings, and anxiety disorder in adulthood.
Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available, and research is uncovering new treatments that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives.
Some common anxiety disorders include:
* Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
* Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
* Panic Disorder
* Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
* Social Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder can begin at any age though it is most likely to start in childhood.iv People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) will worry excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months.v Children, pre-teens, and teens with GAD can’t relax, may startle easily, have trouble focusing, and will sometimes have trouble sleeping. Other signs of GAD can include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes. When their anxiety is bothering them, children with GAD can have trouble completing tasks, like homework.
If you think your son or daughter might have GAD, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Children, pre-teens, or teens with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) constantly have thoughts that bother them (obsessions). They will develop routines and rituals (compulsions) in an attempt to control the stress these thoughts cause. At their worst, these rituals can take over a young person’s life.
Parents concerned about OCD should look for the most common OCD compulsions
* Excessive hand washing due to fear of germs
* Counting constantly
* Repeating words silently
* Repeatedly rechecking completed tasks
OCD affects about 2.2 million Americans.vii It usually appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.viii OCD can change over time, and the effects of OCD can get weaker or stronger. Sometimes these effects fade completely.
In some cases, OCD can prevent children from feeling comfortable and behaving normally at home, at school, or in social situations. Some people with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that will upset them. In some cases, teens with OCD will turn to alcohol or drugs to try to calm themselves.
If your son or daughter shows signs of OCD, or you have any questions, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.
Panic Anxiety Disorder
Panic disorder causes sudden attacks of terror. These attacks are called panic attacks and can last minutes to hours. During these panic attacks, a teen can experience:
* A pounding heart
* Weakness, dizziness, or feeling faint
* Nausea
* Chest pain
* Numbness in the hands
* Feeling like they are being smothered
Children can suffer a panic attack at any time, even during sleep. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood.xi However, just because a teen has a panic attack doesn’t mean that he or she has panic disorder – one panic attack does not equal panic disorder.
If you are concerned that your son or daughter might have panic disorder, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.
back to top
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
We often hear about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as something that affects adults (such as war veterans), but it can happen to a child who has experienced or witnessed trauma or traumatic events.
PTSD can affect children who have survived some sort of trauma. Children don’t have to be physically harmed to suffer from PTSD. Children can suffer from PTSD if something bad happens to them, if they witness a traumatic event, or a trauma happens to someone they love.
Children suffering from PTSD can show the following signs:
* Difficulty sleeping
* Emotional numbness (not feeling happiness or sadness, for example, when they should)
* Losing interest in favorite activities or hobbies
* Aggression
* Displays of violence
* Flashbacks
* Frequent bad dreams
PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adultsxii, but it can occur at any age, including childhood.xiii Children suffering from PTSD may also face depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.
If you believe that you child is suffering from PTSD, please talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Children with social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, are so self-conscious that they find it very, very hard to take part in social situations. Children with social anxiety disorder have an intense and often constant fear of being watched and judged by others. They are very afraid of doing something that will embarrass them.
Sometimes this fear is caused by one specific thing or situation. For example, a child might worry for days, even weeks, leading up to a school test or oral presentation. Sometimes this fear is not caused by anything specific. In this case, a child with social anxiety disorder may be uncomfortable around anybody except family. This can make it very hard for a child or youth to make friends or attend school.
Signs of social phobia in children and youth include:
* Being overly sensitive to criticism
* Having trouble being assertive
* Suffering from low self-esteem
Social phobia affects about 15 million Americans It usually begins in childhood or early adolescence. People with social anxiety disorder may also have other anxiety disorders or depression. Some people with social anxiety disorder may also develop problems with substance abuse.
If you have questions or think your son or daughter might have social anxiety disorder, talk to a health care provider like a nurse or doctor, the counselor at your child’s school, or a mental health professional.
Social Phobia Anxiety
Social Phobia Anxiety
“In any social situation, I felt fear. I would be anxious before I even left the house, and it would escalate as I got closer to a college class, a party, or whatever. I would feel sick in my stomach-it almost felt like I had the flu. My heart would pound, my palms would get sweaty, and I would get this feeling of being removed from myself and from everybody else.”
“When I would walk into a room full of people, I’d turn red and it would feel like everybody’s eyes were on me. I was embarrassed to stand off in a corner by myself, but I couldn’t think of anything to say to anybody. It was humiliating. I felt so clumsy, I couldn’t wait to get out.”
Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is diagnosed when people become overwhelmingly anxious and excessively self-conscious in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have an intense, persistent, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of doing things that will embarrass them. They can worry for days or weeks before a dreaded situation. This fear may become so severe that it interferes with work, school, and other ordinary activities, and can make it hard to make and keep friends.
While many people with social phobia realize that their fears about being with people are excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome them. Even if they manage to confront their fears and be around others, they are usually very anxious beforehand, are intensely uncomfortable throughout the encounter, and worry about how they were judged for hours afterward.
Social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others) or may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost anyone other than the family.
Physical symptoms that often accompany social phobia include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking. When these symptoms occur, people with social phobia feel as though all eyes are focused on them.
Social phobia affects about 15 million American adults.1 Women and men are equally likely to develop the disorder,10 which usually begins in childhood or early adolescence.2 There is some evidence that genetic factors are involved.11 Social phobia is often accompanied by other anxiety disorders or depression,2,4and substance abuse may develop if people try to self-medicate their anxiety.4,5
Social phobia can be successfully treated with certain kinds of psychotherapy or medications.